Fires Ignited by Lithium Ion Batteries In Bikes, Scooters and Cars – Here’s What You Need To Know!
By Lauren Fix In less than two years, 11 people perished and 251 were injured in NYC alone, due to fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries used to power e-bikes and e-scooters, according to the FDNY. In 2021, 4 people died and 79 were injured in 104 lithium-ion battery fueled blazes in homes, fire officials said. Last year, those […]
It’s A Scam = $100 BILLION Invested in self-driving cars
By Lauren Fix The auto industry is rapidly moving toward a future of driverless cars. One of the main arguments in favor of this new technology is that it will make driving safer. Here is a reality check. Google parent company, Alphabet’s self-driving vehicle, Waymo, quietly laid off staff this week. In October 2022, Argo.ai, an autonomous vehicle company, […]
Speed Limiters Coming to a Highway Near You!
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This post first appeared in October 2022 as NMA E-Newsletter #718. If you would like to subscribe to our weekly E-Newsletter, click HERE. During driver’s ed class, many of us drove lesson cars with speed governors. Newbies needed them so they wouldn’t endanger themselves or their trainer […]
Busting 7 Myths about Cars You Should Not Believe
By Lauren Fix, The Car Coach There are so many automotive myths or common beliefs or something your buddy told you as a fact about your car. Much of it is total rubbish, but what is really the truth? I’m sure a few come to your mind right away. Let’s correct the record and then […]
Going No Faster in Cars That Can, Safely
Cars have changed a lot over the past 50 years. Speed limits and how people drive haven’t. Fifty years ago, most cars still had drum brakes in the back and marginal disc brakes up front. None had ABS. It took them longer to stop. Unless you knew how to brake, they would go into a skid if […]
Taking the Politics Out of Speed Limit Setting—a Member Responds: NMA Newsletter #729
By Don Bain, NMA Oregon Member Editor’s Note: Don submitted these comments to the NMA National Office in response to Newsletter #724 Taking the Politics Out of Speed Limit Setting. While sound from an engineering perspective, there’s an inherent challenge with speed surveys and the 85% percentile speed point: establishing and documenting what “free-flowing conditions” are, […]
Reducing Speed Limits to 20 mph has little Impact on Driving Behavior: NMA E-Newsletter #728
UK research found that cutting speed limits on urban roads does not significantly improve safety. The likely reason—motorists will drive the speed limit they feel most comfortable with based on road design, weather conditions, and traffic. Belfast officials changed the speed limits to 20 mph on 76 roads in 2016. Researchers analyzed data from before […]
If “Safety” Really Mattered
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as NMA weekly E-Newsletter #716 from October 2022. In several objective ways, new cars are less “safe” than cars built decades ago. A strong statement. One that probably seems ridiculous, too, given all the “safety” features new cars have that old cars did not, and the fact that new […]
Two Lanes of Driving Behavior–Are you a Safe Driver? Are you a Compliant Driver?
By Stewart Price, NMA Programs Officer Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as NMA E-Newsletter #711 from August 2022. If you would like to subscribe to our single-topic motorist-issue weekly newsletter, click here. Until I started working here at the NMA, I thought these two questions are the same. As the French would say, “C’est […]
ADAS Accidents—A Perfect Storm Towards the Car of the Future?
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director This post originally appeared as NMA E-Newsletter #709 from August 2022. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, a weekly one-topic look at a motorist issue, click here. Automakers and safety advocates have pushed for more Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) on new vehicles for years. But is […]